FAINT ECHOES, DISTANT STARS The Science and Politics of Finding Life Beyond Earth Dr. Ben Bova New York: William Morrow, 2004 |
Rating: 4.5 High |
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ISBN-13 978-0-380-97519-8 | ||||
ISBN 0-380-97519-X | 335pp. | HC/GSI | $25.95 |
Acknowledgements | xv | |
Prologue: Author to Reader | 1 | |
SECTION I The Path to Astrobiology | ||
1: | Are We Alone? | 7 |
2: | Time and the Tide of Opinion | 19 |
3: | The Three Requirements of Life | 27 |
4: | The Extreme Road to Astrobiology | 33 |
5: | The Great Mindshift: Exobiology Becomes Astrobiology | 41 |
SECTION II The Path to Life on Earth | ||
6: | The Birth of Our Solar System | 59 |
7: | The Birth of Our World | 68 |
8: | Nature's Enforcers | 78 |
9: | The Birth of Life | 87 |
10: | Opportunistic, Tenacious Life | 98 |
11: | Life's Impact on Planet Earth | 112 |
SECTION III Life in the Solar System | ||
12: | A Model Planet Called Mars | 127 |
13: | Exploring Mars | 135 |
14: | Hotworlds and False Assumptions | 155 |
15: | The Realm of the Giants | 167 |
16: | The Realm of Ice | 190 |
SECTION IV Life Beyond the Solar System | ||
17: | Extrasolar Planets: Good News and Bad News | 207 |
18: | The Heartbreak of SETI | 229 |
19: | UFOs, Abductions, and Ancient Astronauts | 255 |
SECTION V Tomorrow | ||
Epilogue: An Agenda for the Future | 271 | |
Postscript: The Apocalypse to Come | 285 | |
APPENDICES | ||
Appendix 1: Units and Conversions | 289 | |
Appendix 2: Refractors and Reflectors | 291 | |
Appendix 3: Cosmic Abundances of the Elements | 293 | |
Appendix 4: Acid and Alkaline: The pH Story | 294 | |
Appendix 5: Major Planets of the Solar System | 295 | |
Appendix 6: Radioactive Dating: Nature's Alchemy | 297 | |
Appendix 7: DNA and RNA | 299 | |
Appendix 8: Contamination: Sterilization and the Isolation Ward | 302 | |
Appendix 9: Death's Calling Card | 304 | |
Appendix 10: The Nitrogen Fix... and Israel | 306 | |
Appendix 11: Charles Darwin | 308 | |
Glossary | 311 | |
References | 315 | |
Index | 321 |